--- description: The army sergeant was on authorized leave title: Bowe Bergdahl Caught Up in California Pot Raid image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77207c693646c0c0/69885c4d428a9ea3e5cce529/bowe-bergdahl.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Military](/tag/military/) ## Military Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bowe Bergdahl Caught Up in California Pot Raid ## Video: Know Right Now: Bowe Bergdahl Charged [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Bowe Bergdahl Charged](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PImkJ8G2.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-03-25. The Army sergeant who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban could face up to life in prison if convicted of both the charges he’s facing._ by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2015 3:02 PM CUT  In this undated image provided by the U.S. Army, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl poses in front of an American flag. In this undated image provided by the U.S. Army, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl poses in front of an American flag.U.S. Army/Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2015 3:02 PM CUT Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan for five years, found himself [caught up in a raid](http://theava.com/archives/45742#0 "undefined") on a marijuana farm in California on Tuesday. The pot raid, originally reported in the _Anderson Valley Advertiser_, took place on a farm where Bergdahl was visiting friends on authorized leave. He was found to be uninvolved with the marijuana operation and was not arrested. The Pentagon reportedly asked Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman to deliver Bergdahl to Santa Rosa to be collected by the army. Bergdahl returned from Afghanistan in June 2014 after five years in captivity; in exchange, the U.S. government released five Taliban detainees at Guantánamo. He was subsequently charged with desertion and will face court martial. \[[_Anderson Valley Advertiser_](http://theava.com/archives/45742#0 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3971054/bowe-bergdahl-pot-raid/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3971054/bowe-bergdahl-pot-raid/"},"headline":"Bowe Bergdahl Caught Up in California Pot Raid","datePublished":"2015-07-24T15:02:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:33:40.236Z","description":"But he was found to be uninvolved with marijuana farm, and was not arrested","url":"https://time.com/3971054/bowe-bergdahl-pot-raid/","keywords":["Military","Marijuana","Bowe Bergdahl"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77207c693646c0c0/69885c4d428a9ea3e5cce529/bowe-bergdahl.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77207c693646c0c0/69885c4d428a9ea3e5cce529/bowe-bergdahl.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"bowe-bergdahl","caption":"In this undated image provided by the U.S. Army, Sgt. 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